Adorno, Politics, and the Aesthetic Animal

216 Pages·2021·1.201 MB·English

by  Caleb J. Basnett

ADORNO, POLITICS, AND THE AESTHETIC ANIMAL
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ADORNO, POLITICS,
and the
AESTHETIC ANIMAL
Caleb J. Basnett
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO PRESS
Toronto Buffalo London
© University of Toronto Press 2021
Toronto Buffalo London
utorontopress.com
Printed in the U.S.A.
ISBN 978-1-4875-4144-6 (cloth) ISBN 978-1-4875-4146-0 (EPUB)
ISBN 978-1-4875-4145-3 (PDF)
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Title: Adorno, politics, and the aesthetic animal / Caleb J. Basnett.
Names: Basnett, Caleb J., author.
Description: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: Canadiana (print) 20210218479 | Canadiana (ebook)
20210218525 | ISBN 9781487541446 (cloth) | ISBN 9781487541460 (EPUB) |
ISBN 9781487541453 (PDF)
Subjects: LCSH: Adorno, Theodor W., 1903–1969 – Criticism and
interpretation. | LCSH: Human-animal relationships – Philosophy. |
LCSH: Humanism.
Classification: LCC B105.A55 B37 2022 | DDC 179/.3–dc23
University of Toronto Press acknowledges the financial assistance to its
publishing program of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts
Council, an agency of the Government of Ontario.
For Taiyo and Hazuki
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Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction: What Is an Aesthetic Animal? 3
Humans, Animals, and Art in Political Theory 4
The Aristotelian Problematic 13
A Forecast 22
Part One: The Remnants of the Greeks, the Ruins of Humanism 27
1 The Perils of Dialectic 29
Adorno’s Aristotle 29
Non-identity and Dialectic 40
Constellation of Objects 47
2 Variations on a Theme: Humanity and Progress 55
Humane Humanity 58
Reconciled Humanity 63
The Question of Progress 67
Part Two: Untying the Knot of Humanity 75
3 Relatively Modest Horrors: Adorno and Animals 79
Anthropology, Dialectical and Otherwise 79
Animal Violence in Human Constitution 89
Non-identity as Human Animality 99
The Utopian Animal 106
4 The Politics of an Aesthetic Animal 117
Mimesis 122
Morality and Politics 130
viii Contents
The Inhuman Addendum 138
Inhuman Art 147
Animal Technique 159
Conclusion: Wither Humanity? 169
Bibliography 185
Index 203
Acknowledgments
In thinking back on all the twists and turns that led to these ideas be-
coming a book, I find it difficult to separate the gratitude I feel toward
those who helped along the way from the “unstable events” that en-
tangled our respective trajectories. These entanglements sometimes
seemed rather brief; in other cases, we’ve yet to be untangled.
At any rate, it is perhaps best to use this page in the conventional
manner, naming individuals rather than events. First and foremost, I
would like to thank Asher Horowitz for guiding this study, and Shan-
non Bell and Martin Breaugh for reading a rather lengthy early ver-
sion of it and for the helpful comments and criticisms they offered. I
must also thank Stephen L. Newman, J.J. McMurtry, and Andrew Biro
for similarly wading through the earlier version and for the insightful
commentary they provided.
My past colleagues at York University also deserve honourable
mention for their efforts as interlocutors and critics. They include Jor-
dan Brennan, Cohen Brown, Elliott Buckland, Karl Dahlquist, Jason
Harman, Paul Herbert, Christopher Holman, Arthur Imperial, Nadia
Hasan, Rachel Magnusson, Paul Mazzocchi, James McMahon, Devin
Penner, and Daniel Ross. To this list I must add professors at the Uni-
versity of Alberta whose teaching contributed to shaping my ideas,
almost certainly more than they realize: Don Carmichael, Catherine
Kellogg, Stéphanie Martens, and Sylvia Vance.
I need also to thank Sheela Subramanian, Maxime Capelliez, Alexan-
der Buchinski, Ian Mackell, Craig Warner, and of course Nagisa, Taiyo,
Hazuki, Yoko, Wendy and Richard, and Caitlin and Cassandra.
Thanks also to Michael Blézy for his editorial advice, the procure-
ment of unexpected pastries, and all the extremely important discus-
sions about coffee.